It was also revealed that parents are spending much more time with their children than they did 40 years ago, and this means less time with each other. According to sociologists Suzanne Bianchi, John Robinson and Melissa Milkie, “married mothers in 2000 spent 20 percent more time with their children than in 1965. Married fathers spent more than twice as much time.”

The article continues…

A study by John Sandberg and Sandra Hofferth at the University of Michigan showed that by 1997 children in two-parent families were getting six more hours a week with Mom and four more hours with Dad than in 1981. And these increases occurred even as more mothers entered the labor force.

Couples found some of these extra hours by cutting back on time spent in activities where children were not present — when they were alone as a couple, visiting with friends and kin, or involved in clubs. But in the long run, shortchanging such adult-oriented activities for the sake of the children is not good for a marriage. Indeed, the researcher Ellen Galinsky has found that most children don’t want to spend as much time with their parents as parents assume; they just want their parents to be more relaxed when they are together.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you noticed a change in your marriage since you had kids? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!